I kept seeing ABC salad everywhere: TikTok stitches, “famous easy salad” roundups, someone grating apple, beet, and carrot into a pink bowl like it was the only lunch that mattered. The first time I tried a version at home, it was good, then I tasted garlic in the dressing and realized most viral recipes lean on alliums I skip on Jain days. So I rewrote it for our kitchen.
ABC salad is exactly what the letters say: Apple, Beet, Carrot. Grated, tossed, done in about fifteen minutes. This version skips onion and garlic on purpose. Lemon-cumin dressing, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cilantro do the bright work instead. You still get that viral crunch and color, just without the allium heat.
If you want the TikTok-famous easy ABC salad in a Jain-friendly bowl, make this with me.
What Is ABC Salad?
Apple beet carrot salad, often shortened to ABC salad, is a raw grated salad built from three parts: apple for sweetness and snap, beet for earthy color, carrot for familiar crunch. Creators love it because the prep is tiny, the bowl photographs well, and you do not need a stove. Classic internet versions often add garlic, ginger, or honey-mustard. Ours stays no-onion-no-garlic so it works for Paryushan and any allium-free week.
Kitchen test note: the first ABC bowl I made browned at the edges within twenty minutes because I grated the apple first and left it sitting. Now I grate apple last, toss with lemon right away, and dress the whole bowl soon after. The beet still turns everything pink. That is half the charm.
This is different from rainbow slaw (cabbage and peppers) and from orange pistachio salad (fruit slices and nuts). Same crunchy-salad week, different job: three-letter crunch with a viral name people already search for.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Viral ABC salad, weeknight timing: about 15 minutes, no cook
- No onion, no garlic: Jain-friendly and easy to share
- Serious crunch and color: apple, beet, carrot in every bite
- Short ingredient list: three produce items plus dressing and seeds
- Flexible: vegan as written; add yogurt drizzle or walnuts if you want
Ingredients and Notes
Apple (A): 1 large crisp apple, about 1½ cups grated. Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Granny Smith all work. Granny Smith stays tart and firm; Honeycrisp reads sweeter. Leave the peel on for color and fiber unless it is thick and waxy. Grate last and toss with a squeeze of lemon so the shreds do not brown.
Beet (B): 1 medium raw beet, about 1½ cups grated. Scrub well; peel if the skin is tough. Red beets give the classic viral pink toss. Golden beets stain less. Wear gloves if pink hands bother you.
Carrot (C): 2 medium carrots, about 1½ cups grated. Peel if the skin is bitter. Coarse grate so the salad stays snappy, not mushy. Aim for roughly equal volumes of A, B, and C so it really tastes like ABC salad, not carrot salad with extras.
Pumpkin seeds: 3 tablespoons raw pepitas, lightly toasted until they start to pop. Sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts are fine swaps. Toast is what makes them taste nutty instead of dusty.
Herbs: A small handful of cilantro, torn. Mint works if you want a cooler finish.
Dressing: 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon cumin dressing, or whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera), a pinch of salt, black pepper, and optional light chaat masala. Taste before you pour. You want bright and cumin-forward. Skip garlic and ginger that show up in many viral ABC dressings. Check chaat masala labels; some blends hide onion or garlic powder.
Optional finish: 2 tablespoons crumbled feta or small paneer cubes, or 2 tablespoons plain yogurt thinned with lemon for a creamy drizzle.
For a grain salad on the same plate, keep millet salad nearby.
How to Make Easy ABC Salad
Serves 2 as a light plate | 4 as a side | Time: about 15 minutes
Step 1: Grate beet and carrot
Wash and peel the carrots. Coarse-grate into a large stainless or glass bowl. Scrub and peel the beet, then grate it into the same bowl. If the shreds look wet, blot with a clean kitchen towel.
Step 2: Grate the apple last
Grate the apple last so it does not sit and brown. Add it to the bowl and toss immediately with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. You should see roughly equal piles of pale apple, orange carrot, and magenta beet before you dress.
Step 3: Toast the seeds
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pepitas 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until they smell nutty and a few start to pop. Tip onto a plate to cool.
Step 4: Dress and toss
Shake or whisk the lemon-cumin dressing. Pour most of it over the ABC shreds. Toss with clean hands or two forks until everything is glossy pink-orange, not swimming. Taste. Add another squeeze of lemon if the apple was mild, or a pinch more salt.
Step 5: Finish and serve
Fold in most of the cilantro and most of the toasted seeds. Scatter the rest on top. Add yogurt drizzle or cheese if using. Serve cool. I like it next to dal-roti, with millet salad when dinner needs a grain bowl, or beside Gujarati peanut cucumber salad when I want a second no-cook crunch. Rainbow slaw later this week covers the cabbage-pepper job; orange pistachio salad is the fruit companion if you want something lighter on the same spread. For a protein-forward Jain plate, pair it with masala paneer crunch salad.
Make-ahead and storage
Grate beet and carrot up to a day ahead and store covered. Grate apple and dress within an hour of serving for the best crunch and color. Keep toasted seeds separate until the end. Dressed leftovers keep about 1 day; the apple softens and the pink deepens. Refresh with lemon and a spoon of fresh seeds if you want lunch again.
Easy ABC Salad (Apple Beet Carrot)
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 large crisp apple about 1 1/2 cups grated; Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Granny Smith
- 1 medium raw beet about 1 1/2 cups grated; scrubbed and peeled if tough
- 2 medium carrots about 1 1/2 cups grated
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds pepitas, toasted
- 1/4 cup cilantro torn
- 2 tablespoons feta or paneer crumbled or cubed, optional
For the dressing
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon cumin dressing or 2 tablespoons lemon juice + 2 tablespoons oil + 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice to coat the grated apple
- salt pinch, to taste
- black pepper to taste
- chaat masala optional light dusting; check label for onion or garlic
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt optional, thinned with lemon for drizzle
Instructions
Grate the vegetables
- Wash and peel the carrots. Coarse-grate into a large stainless or glass bowl.
- Scrub and peel the beet, then grate it into the same bowl. Blot with a clean towel if the shreds look wet.
Grate the apple last
- Grate the apple last so it does not brown. Add to the bowl and toss immediately with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
Toast the seeds
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pepitas 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and a few start to pop. Tip onto a plate to cool.
Dress and serve
- Shake or whisk the lemon-cumin dressing. Pour most of it over the apple, beet, and carrot shreds.
- Toss until glossy and lightly coated, not swimming. Taste and adjust lemon or salt.
- Fold in most of the cilantro and most of the toasted seeds. Finish with the remaining herbs and seeds, plus optional yogurt drizzle or cheese. Serve cool.
Notes
Easy ABC Salad Variations
- Fully vegan: Already vegan as written without cheese or yogurt.
- Walnut ABC: Swap pepitas for roughly chopped toasted walnuts.
- Creamy drizzle: Thin 2 tablespoons yogurt with lemon and a pinch of cumin; drizzle over the tossed salad.
- Milder kid bowl: Skip chaat masala; use lemon, oil, cumin, and a tiny pinch of salt. The apple sweetness usually wins kids over.
- Grain bowl: Spoon over leftover millet or quinoa and add extra lemon.
- Roasted beet ABC: Roast the beet until tender, cool, and cut into thin matchsticks. Keep apple and carrot raw for contrast.
Easy ABC Salad FAQs
Q1. What is ABC salad, and why is it famous on TikTok?
ABC stands for apple, beet, and carrot. It went viral because it is colorful, crunchy, and genuinely easy: grate three things, dress, eat. Wellness creators often call it a famous easy salad. This version keeps that simplicity and makes it Jain-friendly.
Q2. Can I make ABC salad without onion or garlic?
Yes. This Jain ABC salad skips the garlic-ginger dressings common online. Lemon, roasted cumin, black pepper, and optional chaat masala give enough brightness. The apple already brings sweetness.
Q3. How do I keep the apple from browning?
Grate apple last, toss with lemon immediately, and dress the salad soon after. If you need to hold it, keep undressed shreds covered and cold, and accept a little softening after an hour.
Q4. Should the beet be raw or roasted?
Raw grated beet is the classic viral ABC texture. Roast if you prefer softer, sweeter beet and keep the apple and carrot raw. Both stay Jain with an allium-free dressing.
Q5. How do I keep ABC salad from getting watery or staining everything?
Blot wet beet shreds, dress lightly, and toss in stainless steel or glass. Wear gloves for the beet if pink hands bother you. Watery salad is usually beet juice plus too much oil.
Q6. Can I make this ahead of time?
Prep beet and carrot ahead. Grate apple and dress close to serving. Dressed leftovers are fine for about a day with a lemon refresh, but peak crunch is the first hour.
Closing
This easy ABC salad is the bowl I make when I want the TikTok-famous apple-beet-carrot crunch without garlic in the dressing. It fits Jain weeks, summer lunches, and those evenings when dinner already has something hot and just needs one cold, colorful side.
If you try it, tell me: equal parts A, B, and C, or did you go heavier on apple? And pepitas or walnuts?
Made this? Share a photo and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
